Climb Aconcagua
Food Recommendations

On the expedition you will need lunch snacks for 13 days. Lunch items should weigh about 9+ lbs. Breakfasts and dinners are provided by RMI while on the mountain.

Please list any special dietary needs on the Participant Form in the Registration Packet. The form must be completed and returned to the RMI Office 60 days prior to the program departure date.

Breakfasts and Dinners

Breakfasts consist of fresh food (bagels, cream cheese), instant oatmeal, cold cereal (granola), breakfast bars, and hot drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa, cider).

The dinner menu is a combination of fresh food (vegetables, tortillas, cheese), retort entrees (fully cooked meals packaged in sealed containers and heated in hot water), freeze-dried (Mountain House or Richmoor Natural High), and packaged main-course items (Ramen, Lipton Rice or Noodles, Macaroni & Cheese). There is also a supplement (mashed potatoes, rice or stuffing), cup-o-soup and various hot drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa, cider), and dessert. Every attempt is made to assure a variety and adequate quantity.

Lunch/Snacks

The importance of bringing lunch foods that you genuinely enjoy cannot be overstated. Good food is the key to maintaining health and happiness on these expeditions. It is necessary to have foods that stimulate the whole palate in order to combat loss of appetite at altitude. Cover the whole range of taste buds from sweet to sour to salty.

Take care while shopping for your lunch snacks. Don’t wait for the last minute. Make a list in advance, and add to it as you generate and remember more ideas. Try to shop at stores that offer a large variety of gourmet and specialty foods, as well as your old, stand-by favorites.

Personal lunch items may include: bagels, crackers, smoked meats, salami, cheese, jerky, hard candies, candy bars, energy bars, GORP, drink mixes, etc.

The following is a list of suggested snacks:

Candy
Candy bars, Hard candy (Jolly Ranchers, Toffees, Life Savers, Mints), Gummy bears, Sour candies (Sweet Tarts), Chocolate (plain bars, caramel/nut clusters)

Cookies
Traditional (chocolate chip, oatmeal, raisin), Shortbread (Walker’s), Ginger snaps, Fig Newtons, Wafers

Bread Substitutes
Crackers, Bagels, Pringles, Corn Nuts, Oriental rice cracker mix

Meats
Dry salami, Smoked salmon, Jerky (turkey, beef, fish)

Cheeses
Laughing Cow, Baby Bell

Dried Fruit
Pears, apricots, bananas, cherries, strawberries, pineapple

Nuts
Smoked almonds, Roasted cashews, Pecans